Final Score: 7.76

Summary:

When I was younger, I remember taking school trips to Rye Playland. Fun memories of roller coasters and thrill rides. That’s where I first heard “X Gonna Give It To Ya.” Gooood times. But years later I returned, to see my childhood shrouded in darkness and sinister music. This once bright and cheery place was turned into their seasonal event, “Scared by the Sound,” something the adult me could enjoy. The rides are all turned off, and the only thing to satiate your craving for amusement is their haunt, a twisted walk through rooms of terror. A different kind of thrill awaits you here, and if you are not careful, your body may just wash up on the beach nearby.

Cast: 8.1

The ghosts and goblins are replaced with the scariest monster of all…man! (yeah, deep, I know). You won’t find many werewolves or demons, but instead will have to fend off crazed inmates, evil fortune tellers, and a handful of dapper gentlemen. The scaractors are very in character here, and use some great dialogue to interact with the guests. Rolling with the punches and going with the flow, these scaractors are quick with a response to guests. Some of the actors had fun set pieces to work with, though the prop of choice seemed to be a small block of wood. Simple, but effective when slammed on a wall, or when an inmate claims it to be their new cell phone, and they can only receive “BLOCKED” calls. (I’m a sucker for puns, so that amused me more than it should have).

Costuming: 8

Avoiding anything over-the-top, the costume choices here are simple and effective. Suits in tatters and ripped up clothes, the subtlety is what makes it so creepy. Aside from wondering why an English gentleman is greeting you in a tomb, the costumes match the décor and the scenes. Zombies prowled the graveyard, crazies circled the asylum, and all looked their parts.

Customer Service: 8

The line to get in was extremely short, but if you did end up getting stuck in the line, they have trailers for old-timey horror films playing on a projector. You know, the ones with scenes of people running and big white letters that read “RUN! HIDE! SCREAM! THERE’S NO ESCAPING…” whatever the creature of the week is. The staff here is friendly and personable, having conversations with guests while they get tickets or wait in line. Being an amusement park, it is easy to find and pretty easy to navigate once you get there.

Atmosphere: 8.5

Eerie music, creepy laughter, and an ominous voice booming a welcome to guests greet you as you arrive at Scared by the Sound. The walk from the parking lot to the park has a photo op or two with a haunting hearse and a pumpkin ghoul. A feeling of dread comes over you as you look out at the rides, none of them moving, in the deep darkness. The smell of the beach permeates the air, which is the only calming thing in this sinister setting. At least until you get to the comedic old-timey movies playing on the line, then things lighten up again.

Special Effects: 7.9

The set designs here are a lot of fun, with fake walls, vortexes, and even a lifting staircase. And yes, vortexes is plural, because you get not one but TWO of them! Okay, maybe that’s not something to write home about, but it was unexpected just like the inflatable that is pretty loose, until you are about halfway through, and they pump more air into it, tightening as you walk. Some fun animatronics await you in some rooms, and the lighting is very well done.

Theme: N/A

In this maze of mayhem, there is no theme. No overarching glue to hold this madness together. You enter and lose yourself in the chaos that is Rye Playland taken over by evil spirits. Wine cellars of doom! Asylums of doom! Tombs of doom! No rhyme or reason, only DOOM!

Fright Effect: 7

The fright is mixed in with a few laughs at this playland. Scaractors jump out from corners, while others stall you with a joke. Though most of the scares are right in front of you. A scaractor would be standing down a hallway, staring at you as you get closer, then scream in your face and either disappear or stalk the rest of the line of guests. The front of the line got the brunt of the scares, though the scaractors did a decent job of including the middle and back as well. A few decoys and distractions were used to disorient guests.

Value: 6.85

This haunt is a bit on the shorter side, being only about 15 minutes. But a ticket price of $20 is not bad at all for what you get, which is some great sets and some fun scaractors. “You’ll laugh! You’ll scream! You’ll never escape from…SCARED BY THE SOUND!”